Right after I update my blog. Yesterday was a long haul, it took about eight hours to get home with various potty and lunch breaks included. Oregon is a strange state, they managed to legalize pot but can’t have a speed limit above 55 anywhere. Their roads are safer at higher speeds, I tested them. You’re welcome.

When I get overwhelmed with projects I make a list. The act of writing it down helps me get organized in my brain. Therefore, this post is not mere goofing off. I’ll add in some fun stuff at the end to keep the post interesting. Here are the things I need to accomplish this week:

Select 3000 words of The Playground and send them to my critique group.

Push The Experimental Notebook of C. S. Boyack through the Amazon mill and check the formatting.

Decide how to do a cover reveal for Notebook.

Write a Macabre Macaroni story that’s been on my mind for a long time. I wanted to include the song of my questing bird, but have never identified him.

Figure out how to promote Notebook to actual readers. It’s a 99¢ book, so paid promotions are off the table. Maybe tour some blogs? I’ll keep you posted.

I’m participating in the Rave Reviews Book Club’s Back to School Book & Blog Block Party this month. (Who names these things?) Therefore, this bullet is about writing my post. This is a cool event and there are prizes involved for commenters at the stops. It’s open to everyone, and I encourage you to check it out. One of the stops today is even giving away some cool graphic tee shirts. If you stop, and comment, you’re automatically entered to win. Here is the link for the tour stops, and it will get updated every day RRBCBTSB&BBP Check it out and play along. There are some cool grand prizes too. My Day is 9/14. I need to write my post ahead of time since that is Old What’s Her Face’s birthday.

I need to post a Writing Cabin bit about creating the short stories. I have a couple of new Lisa artwork bits to help with promotion.

Gather up data from my critique partners and work up their submissions.

Actually publish Notebook.

Get Macabre Macaroni ready for October.

I promised some fun things in this post, so here goes. Sand Dollars live all along the Oregon Coast. We didn’t find any this trip, but over the years I’ve gathered up many. Lorelei, my Muse, has my mind working overtime after vacation. This is a sand dollar:

Maybe you guys can have some fun with this. Notice how it resembles a full moon. The moon influences the tides. We discussed how it would be cool to have magic ebb and flow with the tides. It could create a sense of urgency to deal with a problem at low tide and avoid the witch at high tide.

The sand dollar has a wonderful pentagram type image across its face. There is a Christian story about the wonderful relation to Christ, but it also fits my paranormal side too.

Inside the shell are five white pips. They are v shaped, and in the Christian story resemble white doves. So what if I sent my witch to the shore during high tide? She holds the sand dollar up to cover the full moon, and snaps it open. Five pips come out. What can she do with them? Plant them and grow minions? Feed them to victims? Call forth five sea monsters?

25 responses to “Back to work…”

We were just in Oregon, too. I agree! And they have that beautiful downtown, but there are homeless people camped out everywhere. Mainly they don’t cause a problem, although definitely a saddening sight. Too saddening for me. Why can’t they give these people shelter? But then they don’t let hubby smoke ANYWHERE. I like him not being able to smoke, but honestly, no smoking, but homeless all over the downtown?

I keep a sand dollars when I find them. I must have 30 or so. I really enjoy finding them still alive — same with starfish, although much more rare.
Thanks for testing out those Oregon roads at higher speeds. Some parts of 5 really scare me, though. If you’re ever out this way, Ohio is also 55 through and through.
I will finish your stories this week, likely Thursday 🙂

Sounds wonderful. There is still some time. I ran into a couple of snags already. There are always some. We didn’t get to go tide pooling. Oregon has tons of starfish, but we missed out this time. Saw lots of jellyfish.

Never heard of a sand dollar. Its lovely. If we had them in Ireland I bet there’d be loads of myths about them, it being an island nation. Thats a long list you got there; I do that too. They can be quite daunting, cant they, but its so satisfying crossing all the tasks off as you achieve them.

Hi! That’s a hefty list to accomplish in a week. I wish you lots of luck. I love sand dollars. Love the picture. The sand dollar in the picture actually looks like a turtle’s shell with the image of an orchid. 😉